I. Format. Exam I will
consist of three parts: one section of short answer or multiple-choice questions; one section of either identification questions or a short passage for close reading; and one essay question from a choice of two or
three questions.

II. Works Covered (You should know title, author, main characters, and the significance of scenes and events)

Charles W. Chesnutt, "The Goophered Grapevine," "Dave's Neckliss,""The Wife of His Youth," "The Passing of Grandison"

Joel Chandler Harris, "Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit" (read aloud in class and available on the PowerPoint for plantation fiction.

(Note: We did not discuss Dunbar's poetry in class, so it will not be covered officially, but you can use it in your essay.)

III. Terms and Concepts

Southwestern humor

Regionalism

Tricksters

Poetry terms (common meter and other information from the Emily Dickinson lecture)

Plantation fiction

Eye dialect

Frame story

Other material from lectures and
discussions, including class presentations and reports

IV. Sample Essay Questions

1. Compare Twain's view of religion with that of Emily Dickinson.

2. In what ways do any two authors represent women who refuse to conform to nineteenth-century ideals of womanhood?

3. Closely analyze and compare these two poems (example: Dickinson and a poem from Household Book of Poetry, which would be typed out as part of the exam).

4. How does a particular author use or subvert the conventions of a genre or form (such as the detective story, the local color or regional story, the Southwestern humor sketch, the plantation fiction story, and so on)?

5. How do any two authors represent the problem of racial injustice and slavery?

6. Several of the works we've read involve identifying a character (or even the author's voice), through "clues" or significant information that may be hidden in the work. Analyze the work of any two authors who employ this technique.

Other types of essay questions may ask you

To analyze a passage through close
reading as it relates to the work as a whole